Lando Norris makes honest Oscar Piastri admission as McLaren outsiders surprised
Oscar Piastri leads the F1 drivers' championship from McLaren team-mate Lando Norris despite the Brit's pre-season status as favourite to become champion this year
Lando Norris insists he is "still happy" with how this Formula 1 season has gone so far despite being outshone by Oscar Piastri. The Brit was the pre-season favourite for the title but, while runaway leaders McLaren have lived up to the billing, it is Norris' younger team-mate who has starred.
Piastri, 24, has five Grand Prix victories in 2025, compared to the two managed by Norris, 25, but the latter has finished lower than second only twice and that consistency has kept him in touch. He heads into this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix just 10 points behind Piastri and says he's happy to be firmly in the title fight at this stage.
"It's maybe not been the perfect or dream start, [but] it's been the start that is needed in order to fight for a championship," he told BBC Sport. Piastri has raced in F1 only times while Norris is a veteran of 137 starts, and yet McLaren's drivers look equally ready for title glory.
Many outsiders have been surprised by how Piastri has led the team's charge but Norris says he always knew about the threat his team-mate could pose. He said: "If I was on the outside, 100 percent I would agree. I'm not surprised, because I know the kind of driver he is.
"I know what he's capable of doing. I know the talent he has and I guess I see it more than anyone else. I'm the guy looking at what he does with his feet and with his hands, and how he drives the car, and I'm able to give probably a more accurate answer than anyone else on the outside."
But Norris still insists: "I do believe I'm the best driver. Maybe not every single day, [but] I do believe that I can drive quicker and perform better than everyone else on the grid. To perform at that level consistently is a very, very difficult thing, no matter what the conditions are, what car you're in, who you're against.
"Maybe sometimes I find it hard to admit and just say. But I wouldn't be racing in Formula 1, I wouldn't be fighting for a world championship, if I didn't believe deep down that I could be the best in the world." Despite McLaren's obvious superiority over their rivals, their drivers have largely been kept honest by Max Verstappen so far this year.
But the Dutchman's road rage in Barcelona last time out cost him dearly and he's now 49 points adrift of Piastri. And another run-in with the stewards in Montreal this weekend could see Verstappen incur a race ban which would all but end his fading hopes of a successful title defence.
The Red Bull racer has come in for plenty of criticism since ramming George Russell but Norris won't join the pile-on. The Brit said: "I have a lot of respect for Max, the driver he is, the person he is, what he stands for all of the time and what he's achieved, his four world championships. That's four more than me, and he's had a lot more race wins than me. I admire those stats, those performances.
"But at the same time, everyone does what they believe is best. Everyone does what they believe is right. And they race for themselves. Some may be more aggressive than others. But everyone has flaws. I have them. Maybe he has them. I race in the aggressive way I believe is correct, and he does the same. The stewards are the ones who decide what is right and wrong."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Emerging Rangers transfer headlines as Cerny future takes fresh twist, Toffolo competition and Camara finds new home
It's the latest news involving the Light Blues all in one place as Russell Martin and Co burst into life in the market Vaclav Cerny's future this summer has taken a potential fresh twist. The former Rangers loanee - who fans would love nothing more than to return to Ibrox - has plenty of suitors after an excellent campaign in Govan on loan from Wolfsburg. That has put him back in the shop window and handed the Bundesliga outfit the chance to recoup or even profit on the fee they shelled out on him. But a new managerial appointment could even change all that. Trabzonspor are said to be very keen but after announcing Dutchman Paul Simonis as their new boss, he may well deem Cerny as one to keep. He will be well aware of the winger from his time in the Eredivisie and with his form and numbers in Glasgow, it might be one that gives the boss food for thought. He is tied down for two more years at Wolfsburg meaning a decision doesn't need to necessarily be rushed on the winger. Meanwhile, Harry Toffolo is said to be a Rangers target for Russell Martin this summer. But he will face competition from the English Premier League to land the former Nottingham Forest man. He's left the City Ground but Sportsboom state top flight newboys Sunderland and Burnley are both keen on the free agent. Meanwhile, Oumar Camara was a name linked with Rangers earlier in the year in a move from PSG. And he's now found a new home after Vitoria SC snapped up the 18-year-old on a four-year deal. Another name that was put to Rangers was Cameron Burgess from Ipswich Town. His suitors list continues to grow with reports linking Valencia and Girona. He was one put forward to the Ibrox club - but seems it is one that is unlikely to happen. Martin's Rangers revolution has seen him linked with a host of names as he looks to get busy in the market. Conor Coady is one of the big names with Record Sport exclusively revealing that Martin wants the former Wolves and Everton defender as one of his first signings since taking the reins at Ibrox. Harry Darling is another name to emerge and is no stranger to the new Ibrox gaffer while the likes of Flynn Downes, Dor Turgeman and Metinho are all others in the mix to be part of the Ibrox American revolution under the 49ers Enterprises.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Controversial FIA statute voted through to make Mohammed Ben Sulayem's re-election bid ‘harder to challenge'
The FIA have approved statute changes that critics say will make it harder to challenge FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem's bid for re-election. A spokesman for Formula 1 's governing body, whose world championships also include rallying and Formula E, said a "resounding majority" voted in favour at the General Assembly meeting in Macau. He gave no figures and there was no immediate reaction from Ben Sulayem, an Emirati who will be standing for a second four-year term in December and is currently unopposed. The Paris-based FIA also groups national motoring associations and campaigns for road safety. Austria's Automobile Association (OAMTC) earlier urged FIA members to vote against the proposed changes in a letter seen by Reuters ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The unsigned letter emailed to the mobility section of the FIA's world council said the FIA risked lasting damage to its reputation. "There is no urgency regarding these proposed changes,' it added. 'They risk further contributing to the erosion of the FIA's reputation for competent and transparent governance. "It cannot be - and is not - a coincidence that changes relevant to the FIA's elections have been promoted by the FIA's leadership at the same time as the FIA's incumbent president has announced an intention to run in those elections. "Where there is even a risk of these changes appearing to benefit the current FIA administration, and not the FIA itself, the changes should not be adopted." Ben Sulayem told Reuters last month, when he confirmed he was standing, that he welcomed competition in the name of democracy. Ben Sulayem recognised he had enemies but said he was confident of the support of a majority of FIA members. "I only have to answer to my members. And they are happy. Actually, they are very happy. They are extremely happy," he said. The former rally driver has been involved in several controversies since being elected in 2021 as the first FIA president from the Middle East. He has been at loggerheads with drivers as well as drawing criticism from FIA insiders, while some senior employees have left the organisation. Briton Robert Reid, a former close ally who quit as an FIA deputy president in April, wrote in his resignation statement of a "fundamental breakdown in governance standards" at the governing body. Reid and Motorsport UK head David Richards had opposed other statute changes approved by the General Assembly last December that they said limited the powers of audit and ethics committees.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Abandoned F1 track lies overgrown and covered in rubbish 13 years after last race as £255m of debt is racked up
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORMULA ONE will have two Grand Prix events in Spain next year following the announcement of the 2026 calendar. The last time the country did this was between 2008 and 2012. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Fernando Alonso was the last winner of a race at the Valencia Street Circuit Credit: Getty Images - Getty 8 The track hosted five Grand Prix between 2008 and 2012 but ate up huge running costs Credit: Action Images - Reuters 8 It has now laid abandoned for 13 years with rubbish seen across the track 8 Weeds are now seen growing through the kerbs 8 Running costs totalled up to a staggering £255m in debts 8 The once picturesque harbour-view track still holds some scars of its past 8 Old sponsors and paint markings can be seen on the site The first was in Barcelona which remains a host for next year, while the second host - rather than Madrid - was Valencia for the European Grand Prix was the Valencia Street Circuit. Located near the port of Valencia, the F1 track record at the 3.4-mile circuit was set by Timo Glock in 2009 with a time of 1:38.683, though Fernando Alonso was the last race winner at the circuit. However, the track was far from popular with drivers for its mundane layout and eventually a lack of interest and funding saw F1 move away. The deal to bring it to F1 had allegedly been part of an election promise between former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Valmor Sport group, led by former motorcycle racer Jorge "Aspar" Martínez and Villarreal CF's president Fernando Roig. READ MORE IN F1 FAST TRACK Legendary F1 race to be renamed after 113 years with controversial new title But when Valmor went bankrupt through taking care of all the costs involved in running the races, the tracks seven-year deal was cut down to five and dug a financial hole worth £255million in debt. An estimated £87m is said to have been paid to Ecclestone, while there were also considerable costs for the construction of the circuit, television broadcasting and various invoices related to the organisation. All told, the Generalitat Valenciana had to fork out a bill of more than £85m to cover the losses. And the circuit itself has been left in a state of disrepair after being closed in 2013. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Some of it was converted back to walkways for the public. But the majority of the track looks like something out of an urban jungle. One of F1's most recognisable voices reveals Leclerc and Hamilton moments that will live with him forever Weeds have overtaken the slip roads on the site, rust has taken root on old safety barriers, and access tunnels have been flooded. Buildings on the site look every hour of their age, with a repurposed 19th-century warehouse showing signs of needing a major paint job. The track itself has not fared much better, with heaps of rubbish seen lying across it while weeds and plants grow out from under the kerbs of the circuit. Pit markings and tyre burns can also be seen over what was not cleared away, while there is even still some evidence of race sponsors from never-removed hoardings to painted pavement which has faded over time. Thieves have also had their way with what was left at the site. Anything valuable that might have been left over from the days of F1 has been gutted out. There was hope for the site in 2022 when an investment group was in talks with the City Council to reclaim the space, turning it into housing and flats for residents.
